Recirculating fountain



March 10, 1959 5. CUSHMAN ETAL 2,877,051

RECIRCULAIING FOUNTAIN Filed April 19, 1957 United States Patent RECIRCULATING FOUNTAIN Bruce Cushman, Brooklyn, N. Y., and John Rork, Elizabeth, N. 1.; said Cushman assignor to said Rork Application April 19, 1957, Serial No. 653,801

4 Claims. (Cl. 299-3) This invention relates generally to liquid recirculating devices and particularly to a decorative or ornamental recirculating fountain providing an attractive display for homes, hotel lobbies, restaurants, lounges and similar places.

The purpose of this type fountain is to produce a continuous uniform flow of water or other liquid bailed from a self-contained supply in a reservoir or the like falling with the desired degree of trajectory back into the reservoir. This is difficult to accomplish when the R. P. M. of the motor-driven bailing wheel sometimes employed for this purpose has to be relatively low to avoid excessive splashing. Proper arrangement of the various components, particularly the motor and liquid receiving receptacle, is also important, since inefiicient placement or mounting of these parts will result in an undesirable bulky and cumbersome device.

An object of the present invention is to provide a liquid recirculating fountain which is self-contained and compact in structure.

Another object of the invention is the provision of a fountain as above described having a novel bailing rotary member or wheel and liquid receiving receptacle arrangement with the driving motor and receptacle located substantially wholly within the dimensions or confines of the bailing wheel.

Still another object of the invention is to provide a recirculating fountain device wherein an accumulator or header chamber produces a continuous uniform flow or fall of water having the desired degree of trajectory.

A further object of the invention is to provide a unitary water wheel assembly for a fountain of the type described with novel means for mounting the same thereon.

These and other objects of the invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art from a study of the following description taken with the accompanying drawings in which:

Figure 1 is a perspective view showing the recirculating fountain of the present invention in operation;

Fig. 2 is a vertical cross sectional view taken on the line 2-2 of Fig. 3 using a slightly larger scale than that of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a view similar to and taken on the line 3-3 of Fig. 2, and

Fig. 4 is a front elevational view of the water wheel assembly per se with a portion of the front wall of the header chamber broken away to better disclose its construction.

Referring now more in detail to the drawings, the recirculating fountain comprises a liquid containing receptacle A divided by a vertical wall 6 into a reservoir 8 and a basin 10, and a bailing wheel assembly generally indicated at B. The wall 6 has an opening 12 below the surface of liquid C in the receptacle permitting communi cation between the reservoir 8 and basin 10, or it may be perforated with a suitable number of smaller openings for this purpose. The liquid used may be ordinary water, or it may be colored or scented as an attractive feature,

or a room deodorizing agent may be added thereto if desired. The basin 10 may be used as a fish aquarium or suitable plants such as ferns and the like may be placed therein to add to the decorative effect. The wall 6 may be a mirror or, as shown in Fig. 1, carry a suitable fanciful design. The fountain may be installed in a wall alcove or recess, hung from a wall or placed on a table, the bailing wheel assembly B being enclosed if desired with a suitable housing or casing (not shown).

The bailing wheel assembly B comprises a bailing wheel generally indicated at 14 having a front face formed by an annular disc 16 and a circular rear face or wall 18 joined at its rim portion to the disc 16 by a plurality of circumferentially spaced scoops 20. The rear wall 18 of the wheel is formed to provide a circular cupshaped recess 22 large enough to substantially enclose a suitable small motor 24 geared to the order of 40 to 45 R. P. M. The motor is thus located substantially within recess 22 of the wheel, the latter being rotatably mounted to and in the same plane as the crown. An inverted U- shaped support yoke 30 secured at one end 32 by bolts or similar means 34 to the back faceof the motor 24 wholly supports the latter together with a trough 36 merging into an accumulator or header chamber 38 from the wall 6 in a manner now to be described.

The trough 36, located above wheel recess 22 below scoops 20, is arcuate in shape and formed by rear, bottom and end walls 40, 42, 44. The trough bottom wall 42 is curved to conform to the wall of recess or crown portion 22 and merges into the header chamber 38 depending therefrom, which is of generally triangular shape and enclosed except for its open top, being supported by yoke 30 at the opposite end 46 of the latter to which it is secured. An outlet member or spout 48 leading from header chamber 38 projects through the vertical dividing and supporting wall 6 to which and to yoke 30 it is secured by suitable means 50. In other words, the header chamber 38, yoke 30 and vertical wall 6 are tied together by spout 48 which supports the bailing wheel assembly from the rear face of wall 6 with the lowermost of the scoops 20 immersed in the liquid C of reservoir 8. It will thus be seen that the assembly is detachable as a unit from supporting wall 6 by removal of the securing means 50.

In operation, the motor 24 is energized through wiring 52 to rotate bailing wheel 14 at 4045 R. P. M. in a clockwise direction as indicated by an arrow in Fig. 3. The scoops 20 successively dip into the liquid contained in reservoir 8 to bail liquid therefrom and pour it into trough 36, also as indicated by an arrow in Fig. 3. The liquid flows from the trough into header chamber 38 and then through spout 48 falls into basin 10, as indicated by arrows in Fig. 2 and shown in Fig. 1. The relative proportioning of scoops 20 and spout 48 is such that the liquid or water level in trough 36 is maintained as indicated in Fig. 3 and header chamber 38 kept filled providing a head or pressure of liquid producing a waterfall 54 having a desirable trajectory, as shown in Fig. l.

The invention may be modified in various respects as will occur to those skilled in the art and the exclusive use of all modifications as come within the scope of the appended claims is contemplated.

What is claimed is:

1. In a recirculating fountain, a liquid containing receptacle, a wall dividing said receptacle into a reservoir and a basin and having an opening permitting communication therebetween, a wheel member having a recess in Patented Mar. 10, 19 59 In other words, the bailing arr/anal from said; chamber and extending through said dividing;

wall and supporting said yoke therefrom over said reservoir;, meansspacedaround the rim portionof said wheel memberra nd adapted during rotation thereof by said m9- tor to bail liquid from said reservoir and pour it into said trough providing a flow of liquid therefrom into said header chamber and through said spout falling into a d' asin- 2;. In; a recirculating fountain, a liquid containing receptacle, an upstanding Walldividing said receptacle into areservoir and a basinand having an openingadjacent its lower edge permitting communication therebetween a spout extending through and supported by said upstand ing wall above said receptacle, a bailing wheel assembly comprising a wheel member having a recess in a face thereof, a motor in said recess having a rotatable shaft onwhich saidwheel member is supported, a trough abovesaid recess, a header chamber depending from said trough and connected to and supported by said spout, a yoke se-, cured; at one end to said motor to support the same and atits other end to said chamber and spout thereby supporting said wheel assembly on said spout, means spaced around the rim portion of said wheel member adapted during rotation thereof to bail liquid from said reservoir;

and pour it into said trough to produce a flow of liquid.

therefrom. into. said header chamber and through said .2. 2! fa lia it lq aid haste,

3. A bailing wheel assembly for mounting on a support in a liquid recirculating fountain comprising, a hatshaped bailing wheel having a crown portion and a brim portion, a motor located in said crown portion and having a shaft upon which said wheel is mounted, scoop means carried by the brim portion in spaced relation to the crown substantially, in the plane ofthe crown, a trough extending into the space between said scoop means and crown portion for receiving liquid, from said ,scoop rn eans saidmotor-and trough, being arranged; substantially-within the parallel planes through the brim portion and top of the crown portion of*said hat-shaped wheel, a header chamber associated, with said trough for, receiving liquid flowing therefrom, a spout leading from said chamber adapted to be fixed on said fountain support, and a yoke V,

secured at one end to said motor to support the same and at its other endito saidchamber and spout for supporting saidbailing wheel assembly on said spout- 4. The structureof claim; 3 characterized in that means, is provided for engagement with said spout to retain the; entire bailing wheel assembly on said support.

e er nc ses n h le t t- UNITED STATES: PATENTS 699,699 Newberry V May 13, 19'02' 730,260 Harris June 9, 1 903 1,190,721 Campbell.v July 11, 1,916 2,696,800 Rork Dec. 14, 19,54 

